Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7 September (WA 106) concerning the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission—
	(a) what instructions have been given to Saxton Bampfylde Hever regarding the recruitment of a new chief commissioner;
	(b) what is the geographical extent of the recruitment;
	(c) whether any potential applicants are to be approached directly;
	(d) how many applications have been made; and
	(e) what fee was agreed with the consultants.

Baroness Amos: (a) The instructions given to Saxton Bampfylde Hever were to identify a pool of suitable candidates for appointment as chief commissioner to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
	The role of chief commissioner is a high-profile post requiring a range of skills and qualities. The criteria against which all candidates were asked to demonstrate their competencies were included in the application form.
	(b) No geographical limit was placed on the extent of the search for applicants. A candidate for the post of chief commissioner need not live in Northern Ireland but the information pack stated that they must have an understanding of the historical and political background to human rights in Northern Ireland. Any candidate whose home is elsewhere and does not intend to move to Northern Ireland would need to demonstrate a willingness to spend at least several days in Northern Ireland most weeks.
	(c) Selection is carried out in line with OCPA guidelines. All candidates whether approached by headhunters or nominated by a political party are required to undergo the same process as all other candidates.
	(d) We received 14 applications for the post of chief commissioner.
	(e) The fee agreed with Saxton Bampfylde Hever was £37,835.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether interviews have been conducted for new commissioners for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and when will they take place.

Baroness Amos: Interviews for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission are underway and, because of the need to ensure representativeness, a broad spread of candidates are being interviewed. For this reason interviews will continue into the New Year.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 14 September (WA 178), who successfully requested an extension of the deadline for applications to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; for what reason this extension was granted; and whether it is usual practice for the commission to respond in this manner.

Baroness Amos: The Government received representations from a number of interested parties to extend the closing date for receipt of applications to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
	While the time we gave originally for completion of applications was reasonable (almost five weeks), a number of people argued that it would take more time to persuade potential applicants that this was a fair appointments process to a credible organisation.
	We judged that an extension would be in the best interests of the commission and extended the closing date from 16 to 28 July 2004. It was important that as broad a cross-section of the community as possible applied for a commission which the Secretary of State has a responsibility to ensure is representative.

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider it discriminatory that only 38 per cent of the staff of the Northern Ireland Equality Commission are Protestant.

Baroness Amos: The level of Protestant representation in the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland's workforce is included in each of the published annual reports. The commission's current corporate plan includes the implementation of affirmative action programmes to address under-representation within the workforce.

Northern Ireland Government Agencies and Departments: Banking

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any of the Northern Ireland government departments bank with the Bank of Ireland; if so, which departments; and, in the case of each department—
	(a) how long it has been doing so;
	(b) when the account is to be renewed; and
	(c) how much has been paid to the Bank of Ireland in fees and charges in each of the last three years.

Baroness Amos: There are no Northern Ireland government departments holding accounts with the Bank of Ireland.

Northern Ireland Government Agencies and Departments: Banking

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which Northern Ireland government agencies bank with the Bank of Ireland; and, in the case of each agency—
	(a) how long it has been doing so;
	(b) when the account is to be renewed; and
	(c) how much has been paid to the Bank of Ireland in fees and charges in each of the last three years.

Baroness Amos: None.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the process used to select the director of operations for Waterways Ireland; who drew up the job description; who was the chairman of the appointment panel; and whether there was any prior coaching and canvassing for the successful appointee.

Baroness Amos: The process used to select the director of operations for Waterways Ireland was open competition.
	The job description for the post was originally drawn up by the former interim chief executive at Waterways Ireland and was finalised by the chief executive of Waterways Ireland in consultation with recruitment consultants KPMG.
	The chief executive of Waterways Ireland chaired the appointment panel and he has assured the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure that there was no coaching of, or canvassing for the successful appointee.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the arrangements for the appointment of all the directors of Waterways Ireland were approved by the two sponsoring departments in line with the agreement of 30 March 2001 with the Irish Municipal Public and Civil Trade Union; and, if not, for what reasons.

Baroness Amos: There is no agreement between the sponsoring departments and the Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union (IMPACT).
	I understand that there was an agreement between the former Republic of Ireland Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (DAHGI) and IMPACT, but it would be inappropriate for Her Majesty's Government to comment on it.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Where the Waterways Ireland Director of Marketing and Communications post is based; at what salary level the current appointee started, whether the starting level was approved by the North/South Ministerial Council, the two sponsoring departments and the two finance departments; and for how long the appointee remained at that level.

Baroness Amos: The Director of Marketing and Communications at Waterways Ireland is based in Enniskillen.
	On 27 June 2001 the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) approved the salary level of the post at principal officer. This was also approved by the two finance departments, North and South. The sponsoring departments did not have an approval role in this matter.
	The post holder started on the minimum of the approved scale and he remained on that point for one year.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the statement by the current Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland, in a letter dated 11 October, that Waterways Ireland's marketing and communication director "was designated and transferred from a predecessor organisation", is correct.

Baroness Amos: I have nothing further to add to my Answer of 12 October 2004 (WA 50).

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much has been paid in overtime payments to Waterways Ireland staff who work in (a) Eire and (b) the United Kingdom, in each year since creation.

Baroness Amos: Waterways Ireland overtime payments were as follows:
	
		
			 Period RoI UK 
			
			 October to December 2002  
			  €400,078 – 
			 January to December 2003 
			  €1,983,593 €56,226 
			 January to September 2004 
			  €1,515,473 €69,806 
		
	
	The figures are in euros as this is the operating currency of the body. Prior to October 2002 the overtime payments for Waterways Ireland staff were made by the former Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands and they are not available.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ensure that the decision to erect a new headquarters for Waterways Ireland in Enniskillen will not be taken until it has been decided whether to hold investigations into alleged mismanagement; and the board's future has been settled.[HL4689]Baroness Amos: The decison to locate the headquarters for Waterways Ireland in Enniskillen was made by the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) on 13 December 1999.
	In July 2004 the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland concluded it would be right to give effect to the NSMC decison and the project is now proceeding.

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who is investigating claims of staff bullying at Waterways Ireland; whether all the interviews are completed; whether the investigation will cover both Eire and Northern Ireland locations and staff; and when the investigation will be completed.

Baroness Amos: I would refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 12 October (WA 50).
	The investigation has not been completed and it would therefore be inappropriate at present to make further comment.

Northern Ireland Act 1998: Section 75

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the implications of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 for government departments and agencies in their employment of sub-contractors and consultants; and, if there are implications, how are they monitored.

Baroness Amos: Only government departments and agencies which are classed as public authorities by virtue of Section 75(3) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 are subject to the duties set out in Section 75. Each such public authority will normally be required to produce an equality scheme which will, inter alia, state the authority's arrangements for assessing its compliance with Section 75 and assessing the impact of its policies on equality of opportunity more generally. .

Bank of Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Equality Commission in Northern Ireland has monitored the employment policies and the religious breakdown of the employees of the Bank of Ireland; if so, what conclusions it has reached; and, if not, whether it will do so.

Baroness Amos: The chief executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has been asked to write to the noble Lord. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

North/South Ministerial Council and Cross-Border Bodies: Administration Costs

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What the annual administration costs have been since the creation of (a) the North/South Ministerial Council and (b) all cross-Border bodies.

Baroness Amos: Details of the annual administration costs for (a) North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat; and (b) the cross-Border bodies since their creation are provided in the tables below. For the purposes of this response, administration costs have been defined as staff and accommodation costs.
	
		(a) North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat
		
			 Year £ 
			 2000 740,502 
			 2001 1,574,270 
			 2002 1,039,693 
			 2003 1,025,410 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) Body *2000 2001 2002 2003 
			  £ £ £ £ 
			 Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission 836,305 933,784 973,974 1,107,360 
			  
			 Waterways Ireland 3,692,063 5,843,392 6,450,134 9,386,939 
			 The Trade and Business Development Body 537,988 961,286 1,349,746 1,530,941 
			 Special EU Programmes Body 525,105 736,305 1,122,472 1,284,631 
			 The North/South Language Body 1,389,299 1,516,584 1,780,976 2,061,449 
			 The Food Safety Promotion Board 165,000 504,000 749,000 1,236,000 
			 Tourism Ireland Limited  101,456 7,400,230 8,608,667 
		
	
	*Accounting period 2 December 1999 to 31 December 2000.

Regional Rate

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of the domestic rates bill paid to central government is spent on water and sewerage in Northern Ireland.

Baroness Amos: The regional rate is an unhypothecated tax, which means that there is no specific link between it and any one particular service. Instead, the revenue raised by the regional rate is simply one component (around 6 per cent) of the total amount available to the Secretary of State for allocation to public services provided at a regional level.

Northern Ireland: District Council Buildings

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What restrictions exist to limit the construction of new office buildings by Northern Ireland district councils, pending the completion of the current review of public administration.

Baroness Amos: None. Decisions on the provision of new office buildings are a matter for district councils themselves.
	However, my honourable friend the Minister with responsibility for the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland (Ian Pearson) has encouraged councils not to enter into commitments which would impose costs on present and future ratepayers, in the belief that this might influence decisions on where administrative centres in new council areas might be located, following completion of the review of public administration. The same message has been conveyed to other bodies, right across the public sector.

Home Office: London-based Employees

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many London-based civil servants were employed in the Home Office in 1998–99; and how many are employed in the current year.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The following table provides the details of the number of London-based civil servants within the Home Office and reflects the growth caused by operational needs within the Prison Service, Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) and UK Passport Agency. In particular, additional IND caseworker capacity has been required in Croydon to handle the large increase in asylum applications and other related migration matters.
	
		
			 London Staff 1998–99 2003–04 
			 Home Office—Main (inc UKPS and FSS) 5,804 12,792 
			 Prison Service Agency 4,561 6,203 
			 Total 10,365 18,995 
		
	
	Note: part-time employees are recorded according to the proportion of the full-time hours worked.
	The Government remain committed to reducing the size of the Home Office headquarters by the equivalent of 2,700 posts by 2007–2008 and to transferring 2,200 posts out of London and the south-east, including planning the relocation of the National Offender Management Service headquarters to outside of London and the south-east.

Commission for Equality and Human Rights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to legislate to reduce the scope of existing anti-discrimination legislation; and
	Whether they intend to legislate to reduce the scope of the investigative and law enforcement powers of (a) the Commission for Racial Equality; (b) the Equal Opportunities Commission; and (c) the Disability Rights Commission.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government are continuing to give careful consideration to the suite of investigative and law enforcement powers to be available to the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, in the light of responses to the consultation launched by the White Paper, Fairness For All. Our aim is to provide the CEHR with effective powers to enable it fully to discharge its remit.

Asylum Seekers: Iraqi Nationals

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to comply with the advice given in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' Return Advisory Regarding Iraqi Asylum Seekers and Refugees; and whether they will give the text of any necessary amendment to their Asylum Policy Instructions.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Each asylum claim from an Iraqi national, as with any other national, is considered on its own merits taking account of relevant country information; case law and factors specific to the individual claim. The country information is derived from many sources, including from UNHCR.
	We do not agree with UNHCR's advice as set out in its Return Advisory Regarding Iraqi Asylum Seekers and Refugees and in previous position papers that some form of complementary protection should be granted to failed asylum seekers from Iraq and that there should be be neither enforced returns nor encouraged voluntary returns. Where a decision has been taken that an individual would not be at risk if returned to Iraq and that decision has been upheld by the appellate authorities we consider that it is safe for that individual to return to Iraq.
	The appellate authorities have upheld over 90 per cent of decisions since decision making and appeals on Iraqi claims resumed last summer.

Asylum Seekers: Accommodation

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which asylum seeker dispersal centres or clusters have been suspended; for what period; for what reasons in each case; and which of them remain suspended.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Dispersal to individual cluster areas may be suspended for a variety of reasons but generally speaking dispersal will be resumed within a short period. As at 21 October 2004 dispersal was suspended in the following areas:
	
		
			 Cluster area All or part of area Reason 
			 Doncaster Part Dispersal of single middle eastern males suspended at the request of the police 
			 Nottingham Part (Two properties only) Dispersal suspended at the request of the police 
			 Derby All Dispersal suspended at the request of the police 
			 Burnley All Dispersal suspended at the request of the police 
			 Nelson All Dispersal suspended at the request of the police 
			 Bootle All Dispersal suspended at the request of the police 
			 Manchester Part Dispersal suspended at the request of the local authority/police 
		
	
	The National Asylum Support Service maintains close dialogue with the police and local authorities in suspended dispersal areas with a view to resuming dispersal as soon as practicable.

Asylum Seekers: Accommodation

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many units of accommodation and places for asylum seekers are contracted out by the National Asylum Support Services (NASS) to (a) local private sector service providers, (b) local authorities; and (c) other accommodation providers, in England, Wales and Scotland respectively and how many of these units are now empty and unoccupied (i) in dispersal centres where dispersals have been suspended and (ii) in other dispersal centres.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The information is not available in the precise format requested. The latest management information available is as follows:
	
		
			  A Number of occupied bed spaces in all dispersal areas B Number of unoccupied bed spaces in all dispersal areas 
			 Private Sector 17,795 1,542 
			 Public Sector 22,185 5,024 
			 Other 3,058 1,003 
			 Total 43,038 7,569 
		
	
	Precise information on the number of bed spaces which are unoccupied as a result of the suspension of dispersal is not readily available at present.

Asylum Seekers: Accommodation

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they expect construction of the Bicester accommodation centre for asylum seekers to begin; and what payments they will make to Global Solutions Ltd under the 10-year contract to design, build and operate the centre.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The construction programme for the accommodation centre near Bicester is dependent on the final resolution of the local authority's legal challenge of the planning process.
	The terms of the contract with Global Solutions (GSL UK) Ltd are commercial in confidence.

OECD: Financial Action Task Force and Bribery Working Group

Baroness Williams of Crosby: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will place in the Library of the House of Commons a copy of the Home Office reply to the questionnaire from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Financial Action Task Force on how they tackled cases involving bribery and corruption.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Home Office has not replied to any such questionnaire. The HM Treasury leads for the UK on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Financial Action Task Force. The Department for Trade and Industry leads for the UK on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Bribery Working Group.

Asylum Claims Made Before 2 October 2000

Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many persons, including dependants, have been granted indefinite leave to remain as a result of the concession announced by the Home Secretary on 24 October 2003 in respect of families who lodged a claim for asylum before 2 October 2000.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: An announcement detailing the results of the exercise including the available statistical information will be made when the exercise is completed and all those potentially qualifying applicants have had an opportunity to respond to our queries.

Trespass

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether there are differences between trespass on royal and government sites and trespass on sites owned or occupied by others which justify separate legislation in respect of each type of trespass.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: A variety of trespass-related provisions already exist for a number of different reasons. It is an offence to trespass on aerodromes or railways, and there are public order offences of trespass with the intention of obstructing lawful activity. However, most acts of trespass are not serious enough to warrant criminal sanctions.
	Her Majesty's Goverment are currently considering whether it is necessary to create a separate offence of trespass for certain sensitive sites, including some royal and government sites, for reasons of national security. This was a recommendation in the report by Commander Frank Armstrong of 14 August 2003 following the breach of security at Windsor Castle on 21 June 2003. This recommendation was reinforced by the Report of the Security Commission of May 2004, following Ryan Parry's activities at Buckingham Palace.

Merseyside: Waterfront and Beaches Development

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to enhance or develop the waterfront and beaches of Merseyside.

Lord Rooker: A number of local authorities and agencies in the north-west are closely involved in taking forward programmes and plans to enhance or develop the waterfront and beaches of Merseyside. These include particularly the Mersey Basin Campaign, which is sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which is a very successful water quality and waterside regeneration initiative, and the Mersey Waterfront Regional Park Programme, which is supported by the Government Office for the North West and the North West Regional Development Agency.

Disability Benefits: Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report on Living Costs

Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What consideration they have given to a recent report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on disabled people's costs of living; and whether they plan to adjust disability benefits.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The Government welcome this report as an interesting and useful contribution to the debate about the disability-related extra costs of severely disabled people. The study is being given careful consideration. It is one among many in this area and uses one of a range of research methods which, because they are based on different assumptions, have generated a wide range of estimates.
	The benefits paid as a contribution towards the disability-related extra costs of severely disabled people, disability living allowance and attendance allowance, are uprated in April each year in line with the movement of the retail prices index over the 12 months to the previous September. The Government have no plans to change these arrangements.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995: Tourism and Leisure

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 have been followed in tourism and leisure businesses in respect of designated wheelchair (a) accessible showers and shower seats; (b) accessible transport where courtesy vehicles are used to transport guests in package holidays; (c) access to conference rooms; and in respect of (d) acceptability of assistance dogs in restaurants and all public areas.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: It is for individual tourism and leisure businesses to determine what action they need to take to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) to deal with barriers and take reasonable steps to deal with them. Details of how individual businesses are meeting their obligations under the Act are not available but the Government want disabled people to take a full and active part in society and be able to enjoy a wide variety of holidays and tourism-related activities.
	DDA is not prescriptive as to what a reasonable adjustment might be. Relaxing a ban on animals in order to allow assistance dogs, or improving physical access for wheelchair users to shower and use conference facilities, are examples of adjustments which may be reasonable in certain circumstances.
	Visit Britain's National Accessible Scheme for serviced and self-catering accommodation sets out accessibility standards for mobility impairment, which includes those for showers and access to public areas including bars, restaurants, dining rooms, conference, banqueting and entertainment facilities. The scheme is voluntary and so far approximately 565 properties have a rating against the mobility standard.
	The provisions, which are being introduced in the forthcoming Disability Discrimination Bill, will allow coaches used on tours and other excursions, as well as other transport services, to be brought within the scope of the provisions of Part 3 of the DDA.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Livestock Transportation Payments

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the total number and value of claims outstanding for payment for livestock transportation during the recent BSE and foot and mouth disease emergencies.

Lord Whitty: From information held centrally, the department is disputing £4,209,375 of charges for livestock transportation during the 2001 FMD outbreak. The department is not aware of any other outstanding claims for livestock transportation payments.

Defra: Consultants and Professional Advisers

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 23 February (WA 37), how many of the consultants and advisers employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are former civil servants; and, of those, how many were previously employed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food or the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Lord Whitty: The information requested cannot be provided as the department does not keep records of the employment of staff after they leave the department. The criteria for the selection of professional service providers in Defra are eligibility, economic and financial standing, and the ability and technical capacity to provide the services required at best whole life cost.

Organophosphates: Health Studies

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any follow-up studies have been conducted into chronic autonomic nervous system effects in people who have reported ill health following exposure to organophosphate sheep dips and pesticide; and, if so, what are the results.

Lord Whitty: Defra has recently received the final report of a study carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In accordance with Defra standard practice, it is currently seeking the opinions of peers on the information contained in the report and as soon as this process is completed the report will be published. As a part of this study, some volunteer subjects took part in a clinical assessment of neuropathy. However, following concerns raised by the Organophosphate Information Network (OPIN) that the study had misrepresented one of the volunteer's symptoms of ill health, Defra sought an independent clinical audit of the neuropathy study. Professor Kerry Mills of King's College Hospital, London, kindly agreed to carry out the audit. Defra currently awaits Professor Mills' advice on the validity of the neuropathy study.
	Additionally, Defra has recently commissioned with University College, London, the recruitment phase of an epidemiological study of retired sheep farmers exposed to organophosphate pesticides. This is due to be completed by late summer 2005. If the recruitment exercise is successful and the required number of volunteers is identified, the analytical phase of the work will be commissioned. The second part of the study will determine the nature and severity of physical, neuropsychological and psychiatric symptoms of the retired farmers and compare these with a control group. This is expected to take a further two years.

Organophosphates: Health Studies

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What research has been, or is being, conducted to establish whether or not exposure to organophosphates can cause disabling disease in a small group of people.

Lord Warner: The Health and Safety Executive has funded a large study at the University of Manchester to investigate the effect of genetic variation on the susceptibility to chronic effects of organophosphates. Provisional results can be found at the Veterinary Medicines Directorate website at http://www.vmd.gov.uk.The final report is expected shortly. This is one study among a range of Government funded projects designed to investigate the possible health effects of exposure to low doses of organophosphates. A fuller description of the past and current research in relation to the possible health effects of organophosphates can be found at http://ops.csl.gov.uk.

Radiation: CERRIE Report

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they plan to take as a result of the recent report of the Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters.

Lord Warner: The Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters (CERRIE) was set up jointly by the Department of Health and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), under the auspices of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE), which is the Government's independent expert advisory committee in this area. CERRIE published its report on 20 October 2004, and on the same day, COMARE published its own report endorsing CERRIE's conclusions. The department and DEFRA are currently reviewing and discussing with COMARE, the National Radiological Protection Board and the Environment Agency how CERRIE's conclusions should be accounted for in future decisions on radiological protection.

Merchant Shipping Regulations

The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Answer by the Lord Triesman on 28 October (HL Deb, col. 1398), what are the "international requirements" to which reference is made; what was the timetable for agreeing and implementing the Merchant Shipping (Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Reporting Requirements) Regulations 2004; and why there was no time to consult those affected by the regulations.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The international requirements referred to in Lord Triesman's Answer are Protocol 1 to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and Chapter VII Regulation 6 (formerly 7.1) of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The provisions in MARPOL and SOLAS relate to reports of incidents that certain ships are to make in specified circumstances.
	Member states were required to comply with the European Directive 2002/59/EC, establishing a Community vessel traffic monitoring and information system by February 2004, which was the timetable set in the directive. This is the timetable to which the Government were working.
	Drafting of the Merchant Shipping (Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Reporting Requirements) Regulations 2004 proved to be a lengthy and complex process and had still not been completed by the February 2004 date. On 18 February 2004, the Government received a letter of formal notice of infringement from the European Commission. On 9 July 2004, the Government received a further communication from the European Commission, a reasoned opinion in relation to the UK's failure to implement. This reasoned opinion required the adoption of appropriate laws by 8 September 2004 (within two months of receipt of the reasoned opinion).
	There was extensive consultation, both formal and informal, on the original draft of the regulations. This process was not finally completed until June 2004. After this consultation was completed, it came to light that amendments would have to be made to the draft of the regulations, as prepared at the date of consultation, so as to continue to give effect to the MARPOL and SOLAS reporting requirements. Amendments were therefore made to the draft regulations to keep in force in an amended form the Merchant Shipping (Reporting Requirements for Ships Carrying Dangerous or Polluting Goods) Regulations 1995 (the "1995 Regulations") so as to continue to give effect to the MARPOL and SOLAS provisions.
	Unfortunately, the deadline set by the Commission (and the risk of infraction proceedings against the UK in the European Court of Justice) left no time for further consultation on the regulations. As the noble Earl is aware, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has now undertaken to consult with interested bodies and persons on whether further changes are appropriate.

Disabled Drivers: Parking

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the Disabled Drivers Association's Baywatch Scheme which ensures that only blue badge holders occupy designated set-down and parking bays in tourism and leisure facilities.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government support the Baywatch campaign and have provided funding for the research which underpins it. Officials have worked closely with representatives of the campaign on their recent initiatives to raise awareness of disabled persons' parking bays in supermarket car parks. A report on the initiative has recently been submitted to the department which will be discussing with the campaign organisers how best to take it forward.

Aircraft: Air Quality

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any proposals to improve the quality of air on long-distance flights taking off and landing at British airports, in particular in economy class and with specific reference to the gaseous and water content of the air, its temperature and bacterial and viral filtration.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Recent international research into aircraft air quality, incuding an extension specifically commissioned by the Government, provided no grounds for concluding that an improvement was needed. Environmental systems on modern aircraft are such that the amounts of oxygen and the oxides of carbon are maintained at levels which do not pose a threat to the health of air passengers and crew. Similarly, the high efficiency particulate air filters used in most modern aircraft are very effective in removing infectious microbiolgical particles. Cabin temperature is controlled from the flight deck and is normally maintained in the range of 22 to 24C. Low humidity is a characteristic of aircraft cabin air and although not harmful, some passengers find it uncomfortable. Drinking water is always available on aircraft.